Every now and then, there will be school kids hanging around with aluminium tins at MRT stations or the entrance of shopping malls asking for donations from the passerby.

I, as a caring citizen, would often dig for loose changes in my pockets and drop then in the tin cans.

If you had studied in Singapore, you should be familiar with the Community Involvement Programme (CIP). Basically, students are required to do a certain number of hours of community service every year. This includes fund raising, visiting old folks home, etc.

CIP nurtures our students to become socially responsible and develops their sense of belonging and commitment to our country. Through participating in community work, students also learn the value of service and develop lasting friendships with one another.

Service Learning is an approach where CIP participants not only serve the community, but also learn to identify with the needs of the community and to reflect on their own experience in working with the community so that they have a better understanding and appreciation of what it involves.

However, I was a little disturbed by the fact that some of these students are doing CIP “just for the sake of doing it”. I came to this conclusion when I asked this simple question to one of kids who asked me to donate, ” What is the name of the organisation I am donating to?”

Interestingly, the kid was loss at words.

I was shocked at his reaction. Obviously, the kid has no idea what he was doing.

Of course, I declined to donate. Because the kid would have no idea what the money is used for.